Career and Education Opportunities for Car Electronics Installers in Charleston, South Carolina

Car electronics installers can find many career and educational opportunities in the Charleston, South Carolina area. The national trend for car electronics installers sees this job pool growing by about 0.1% over the next eight years. In general, car electronics installers install, diagnose, or repair communications, sound, or navigation equipment in motor vehicles.

Car electronics installers earn approximately $12 hourly or $25,100 per year on average in South Carolina. Nationally they average about $13 hourly or $27,640 annually. Compared with people working in the overall category of Electrical, people working as car electronics installers in South Carolina earn less. They earn less than people working in the overall category of Electrical nationally.

The Charleston area is home to fourteen schools of higher education, including one within twenty-five miles of Charleston where you can get a degree as a car electronics installer. The most common level of education for car electronics installers is a post-secondary certificate. You can expect to spend a short time training to become a car electronics installer if you already have a high school diploma.

CAREER DESCRIPTION: Car Electronics Installer

Car electronics installers set up equipment and accessories such as stereos and security systems. They also splice wires with knives or cutting pliers, and solder connections to fixtures and equipment. Equally important, car electronics installers have to cut openings and drill holes for fixtures and equipment, using electric drills and routers. They are often called upon to diagnose or repair problems with electronic equipment, such as sound and security equipment, in motor vehicles. They are expected to examine and test electrical or electronic systems to identify and diagnose malfunctions, using visual inspections and testing instruments such as oscilloscopes and voltmeters. Finally, car electronics installers remove and clean electrical or electronic parts.

Every day, car electronics installers are expected to be able to listen to and understand others in meetings. They need to see details at a very fine level of focus. It is also important that they twist and stretch their arms and legs to get work done.

It is important for car electronics installers to estimate costs of fixes on the basis of parts and labor charges. They are often called upon to record results of diagnostic tests. Somewhat less frequently, car electronics installers are also expected to build fiberglass or wooden enclosures for sound parts, and fit them to automobile dimensions.

Car electronics installers sometimes are asked to build fiberglass or wooden enclosures for sound parts, and fit them to automobile dimensions. They also have to be able to talk with customers to establish the nature of malfunctions And finally, they sometimes have to estimate costs of fixes on the basis of parts and labor charges.

Like many other jobs, car electronics installers must be thorough and dependable and be reliable.

Similar jobs with educational opportunities in Charleston include:

Avionics Technician. Install, inspect, or repair avionics equipment, such as radar, radio, and missile control systems in aircraft or space vehicles.

EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES: Car Electronics Installer Training

Trident Technical College - Charleston, SC

Trident Technical College, 7000 Rivers Avenue, Charleston, SC 29423-8067. Trident Technical College is a large college located in Charleston, South Carolina. It is a public school with primarily 2-year programs and has 12,758 students. Trident Technical College has a less than one year program in Automobile/Automotive Mechanics Technology/Technician which graduated eight students in 2008.

CERTIFICATIONS

Certified Customer Service Specialist:
An individual who successfully passes ETA's World Class CSS Certification exam is professionally recognized as having the ability to uphold the interpersonal and business standards necessary in today's workplace.

LOCATION INFORMATION: Charleston, South Carolina

Charleston, South Carolina photo by AudeVivere

Charleston is situated in Charleston County, South Carolina. It has a population of over 111,978, which has grown by 15.9% over the last ten years. The cost of living index in Charleston, 94, is below the national average. New single-family homes in Charleston cost $157,600 on average, which is below the state average. In 2008, five hundred eight new homes were built in Charleston, down from eight hundred seventy-eight the previous year.

The top three industries for women in Charleston are health care, educational services, and accommodation and food services. For men, it is accommodation and food services, construction, and professional, scientific, and technical services. The average commute to work is about 20 minutes. More than 37.5% of Charleston residents have a bachelor's degree, which is higher than the state average. The percentage of residents with a graduate degree, 13.9%, is higher than the state average.

The unemployment rate in Charleston is 10.5%, which is less than South Carolina's average of 12.0%.

The percentage of Charleston residents that are affiliated with a religious congregation, 42.7%, is less than both the national and state average. Plymouth Congregational Church, Lutheran Church of the Redeemer and Holy Trinity Episcopal Church are among the churches located in Charleston. The largest religious groups are the Southern Baptist Convention, the Catholic Church and the United Methodist Church.

Charleston is home to the United State Department of Agriculture and the The Center as well as Harmon Field and Stoney Field. Shopping malls in the area include Church Creek Plaza Shopping Center, Citadel Mall Shopping Center and South Windermere Shopping Center. Visitors to Charleston can choose from French Quarter Inn, Fulton Lane Inn and Budget Inn for temporary stays in the area.